On this day in 1967 The Beatles’ Apple Boutique opened in London

When Brian Epstein died in  August of 1967, it  prompted the band to take control of their own finances, and Apple Corps was their solution. A company started by the band members to handle their record releases while allowing them to diversify into other fields like publishing, films, electronics and retail. It was under the latter division that the idea for the Apple Boutique was born. 

The concept for the store, situated on the corner of Baker London and Paddington Street in London, was to sell a wide variety of items, with everything in the store being for sale. McCartney described the aim was to make “a beautiful place where beautiful people can buy beautiful things.” In the end, the store focused primarily on clothing and fashion accessories, with some forays into home decor and furniture. The store’s decoration embodied the colourful, psychedelic hippy taste of the band at the time, with plenty of bright colours and large artworks, causing complaints from some locals and the council.

A launch party was held several days before the official opening and was attended by John Lennon, George Harrison  and a variety of other musicians, including Eric Clapton. The attendees of  the party sipped apple juice as the store was not licensed to serve alcohol. While the launch was a successful, star-studded affair, the shop’s operation quickly went downhill as theft became endemic. Customers and staff members alike took to helping themselves to the merchandise, as did the Beatles’ artist friends, The Fool.

The rise in shoplifting led to the store becoming a financial disaster and after just seven months it was decided to close down the operation on the 31st of July 1968. On  the night before closing, the band members and their wives and girlfriends came and took what stock they liked, ahead of announcing that all remaining stock would be given out for free, with one item per person. Within hours the shop was emptied and the band’s first foray into retail was officially over.